The Meaning of Jeremiah 5:17 Explained

Jeremiah 5:17

KJV: And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.

YLT: And it hath consumed thy harvest and thy bread, They consume thy sons, and thy daughters, It consumeth thy flock, and thy herd, It consumeth thy vine, and thy fig-tree, It maketh poor thy fenced cities, In which thou art trusting -- by the sword.

Darby: And they shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread, they shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters, they shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds, they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees; they shall destroy with the sword thy strong cities, wherein thou trustedst.

ASV: And they shall eat up thy harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat; they shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds; they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees; they shall beat down thy fortified cities, wherein thou trustest, with the sword.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they shall eat up  thine harvest,  and thy bread,  [which] thy sons  and thy daughters  should eat:  they shall eat up  thy flocks  and thine herds:  they shall eat up  thy vines  and thy fig trees:  they shall impoverish  thy fenced  cities,  wherein thou  trustedst,  with the sword. 

What does Jeremiah 5:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

These soldiers would devour and demolish everything that the Judahites owned and trusted in for security.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 5

1  The judgments of God upon the people, for their perverseness;
7  for their adultery;
10  for their impiety;
15  for their worship of idols;
19  for their contempt of God;
25  and for their great corruption in the civil state;
30  and ecclesiastical

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 5:17 mean?

And they shall eat up your harvest and your bread [Which] should eat your sons and daughters they shall eat up your flocks and your herds your vines and your fig trees they shall destroy cities your fortified in which you trust those with the sword
וְאָכַ֨ל קְצִֽירְךָ֜ וְלַחְמֶ֗ךָ יֹאכְלוּ֙ בָּנֶ֣יךָ וּבְנוֹתֶ֔יךָ יֹאכַ֤ל צֹאנְךָ֙ וּבְקָרֶ֔ךָ גַּפְנְךָ֖ וּתְאֵנָתֶ֑ךָ יְרֹשֵׁ֞שׁ עָרֵ֣י מִבְצָרֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתָּ֛ה בּוֹטֵ֥חַ בָּהֵ֖נָּה בֶּחָֽרֶב

וְאָכַ֨ל  And  they  shall  eat  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
קְצִֽירְךָ֜  your  harvest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: קָצִיר 
Sense: harvest, harvesting.
וְלַחְמֶ֗ךָ  and  your  bread 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
יֹאכְלוּ֙  [Which]  should  eat 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
בָּנֶ֣יךָ  your  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וּבְנוֹתֶ֔יךָ  and  daughters 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
יֹאכַ֤ל  they  shall  eat  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
צֹאנְךָ֙  your  flocks 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.
וּבְקָרֶ֔ךָ  and  your  herds 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בָּקָר  
Sense: cattle, herd, oxen, ox.
גַּפְנְךָ֖  your  vines 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: גֶּפֶן  
Sense: vine, vine tree.
וּתְאֵנָתֶ֑ךָ  and  your  fig  trees 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: תְּאֵנָה  
Sense: fig, fig tree.
יְרֹשֵׁ֞שׁ  they  shall  destroy 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָשַׁשׁ  
Sense: to beat down, shatter.
עָרֵ֣י  cities 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
מִבְצָרֶ֗יךָ  your  fortified 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: מִבְצָר 
Sense: fortification, fortress, fortified city, stronghold.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  in  which 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בּוֹטֵ֥חַ  trust 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בָּטוּחַ 
Sense: to trust.
בָּהֵ֖נָּה  those 
Parse: Preposition-b, Pronoun, third person feminine plural
Root: הֵנָּה  
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
בֶּחָֽרֶב  with  the  sword 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.